Malgarrin is a set of about 30 songs, first composed by Mulindjin in the 1930s, at around the same time as wurltjirri. Mulindjin received some of these songs in a dream-vision of the Virgin Mary, and several of the songs (though by no means all) have Christian themes.
MalgarrinKurdantiga

Malgarrin singing at the installation of a statue of the Virgin Mary at Kurdantiga, the place where old Mulindjin first received the vision, in 1990. The singing is led by Mary Naya Mollinthin (Mulindjin's wife) and Anna Maria Kidenu Ninnal (who composed several djanba songs). Photo: Mark Crocombe.


Malgarrin songs are usually sung by a mixed group of men and women, with clapstick accompaniment played by the (usually male) song-leader. The verses are made up of isorhythmic cyclically repeating text, and in alternate verses the clapstick accompaniment drops out for part of the verse. These songs are similar in musical structure to balga songs, a style that originates from the Kimberleys. In the past Murriny Patha people performed a number of different balga repertories.

We have not yet done much work on malgarrin songs, but in preliminary work we learned that several song texts include words in Jaminjung and other neighbouring languages.